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Bain Capital

PE firm known for retail and healthcare acquisitions

EST. 1984Boston, MAWebsite →
21
Brands Owned
5
Documented Impacts
3
Bankruptcies
13
Industries
3 bankruptcies under their ownership
Behavioral HealthPhysical TherapyRestaurants & Fast FoodSporting GoodsChildcare & Early EducationRetail & ConsumerApparel & FashionMedia & Digital PublishingMusic & EntertainmentHospitals & Healthcare SystemsSenior Living & Nursing HomesYouth Sports & RecreationSoftware & SaaS

Brands Owned by Bain Capital (21)

Acadia Healthcare (partial)

Behavioral Health · 0 locations

Bain Capital invested in Acadia Healthcare, a behavioral health hospital operator. Acadia has faced investigations into patient safety, insurance fraud, and allegations of holding patients against their will to maximize insurance billing.

Athletico Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy · 3 locations

Bain Capital-backed PT and sports medicine chain with 600+ clinics

Bloomin' Brands (Outback Steakhouse)

Restaurants & Fast Food · 0 locations

Bain Capital, Catterton Partners, and Chris Sullivan took OSI Restaurant Partners (Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's) private for $3.2B in 2007. Loaded with debt through the financial crisis. IPO'd as Bloomin' Brands in 2012.

Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP)

Sporting Goods · 0 locations

Bain Capital led the acquisition of Bombardier's recreational products division (Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo, Can-Am) for $875M in 2003. BRP went public in 2013. One of Bain's more successful exits.

Bright Horizons

Childcare & Early Education · 8 locations

Bain Capital took public in 2013. Largest employer-sponsored childcare provider with 1,000+ centers

Burlington Coat Factory

Retail & Consumer · 0 locations

Bain Capital acquired Burlington Coat Factory for $2.06B in 2006, taking it private. The company filed for IPO in 2013 as Burlington Stores. Known for aggressive debt load post-acquisition.

Burlington Coat Factory (Canada)

Apparel & Fashion · 0 locations

Canadian arm of the Bain Capital-acquired Burlington Coat Factory business.

Clear Channel Outdoor (iHeartMedia)

Media & Digital Publishing · 0 locations

Bain Capital and THL Partners took Clear Channel Communications private for $26.7B in 2008 — one of the largest LBOs before the financial crisis. The company (renamed iHeartMedia) filed for bankruptcy in 2018 with $20B in debt.

Dollarama

Retail & Consumer · 0 locations

Bain Capital acquired Dollarama (Canada's largest dollar store chain) from founder Larry Rossy in 2004 for roughly CAD $1B. Took public on TSX in 2009. One of Bain's high-profile Canadian investments.

Dunkin' (pre-Inspire)

Restaurants & Fast Food · 0 locations

Bain Capital, Carlyle Group, and THL Partners acquired Dunkin' Brands (Dunkin' Donuts + Baskin-Robbins) for $2.4B in 2006. Took public in 2011. Sold to Inspire Brands (Arby's) in 2020 for $11.3B.

Fogo de Chao

Restaurants & Fast Food · 5 locations

Brazilian steakhouse chain acquired by Bain Capital from Rhone Capital in 2023

Guitar Center

Music & Entertainment · 9 locations

Bain's $2.1B LBO loaded $1.75B in debt. Filed Chapter 11 in 2020 but survived after eliminating $800M in debt.

1 impact

Gymboree

Apparel & Fashion · 8 locations

Bain's $1.8B LBO loaded $1.2B in debt. Interest exceeded operating profit. Filed bankruptcy twice, liquidated all 1,280 stores. 11,000+ workers lost jobs.

1 impact

HCA Healthcare (partial)

Hospitals & Healthcare Systems · 0 locations

Bain Capital, KKR, and Merrill Lynch took HCA private in 2006 for $33B — the largest LBO in history at the time. Known for aggressive cost-cutting, staff reductions, and controversial dividend recapitalizations totaling billions before the 2011 IPO.

Hospital Corporation of America — Parallon

Hospitals & Healthcare Systems · 0 locations

Business services spinoff created during Bain/KKR's HCA ownership. Provided revenue cycle management and workforce solutions to hospitals. Merged back into HCA in 2019.

Kindred Healthcare

Senior Living & Nursing Homes · 0 locations

TPG, Humana, and Welsh Carson acquired Kindred Healthcare in 2018 for $4.1B. Bain Capital was an earlier investor. Kindred operates long-term acute care hospitals and rehabilitation facilities. Subject to multiple Medicare fraud settlements.

Perfect Game USA

Youth Sports & Recreation · 0 locations

Bain Capital acquired Perfect Game, the nation's largest amateur baseball scouting and showcase organization, in 2021. Parents and coaches report significant registration and tournament fee increases post-acquisition. Perfect Game hosts 5,000+ events annually.

The Weather Channel (IBM Watson Weather)

Media & Digital Publishing · 0 locations

Bain Capital, Blackstone, and NBC Universal acquired The Weather Channel for $3.5B in 2008. The company struggled with debt and cord-cutting. IBM acquired the data business in 2016 for $2B; the TV channel was sold to Entertainment Studios.

Toys "R" Us

Retail & Consumer · 9 locations

Iconic toy retailer destroyed by $6.6B LBO from Bain Capital, KKR, and Vornado. PE firms extracted $464M in fees while loading $5.2B in debt. 33,000 U.S. workers lost jobs when all stores liquidated in 2018.

3 impacts

Warner Music Group

Music & Entertainment · 0 locations

Bain Capital-led consortium acquired Warner Music Group from AOL Time Warner for $2.6B in 2004. The acquisition preceded significant artist contract restructurings and layoffs. WMG went public in 2020.

When I Work

Software & SaaS · 0 locations

Workforce scheduling and time-tracking SaaS platform for hourly workers. Bain Capital Tech Opportunities led a $200M growth investment in 2021. The platform serves 200,000+ workplaces. Growth investment (minority stake), not a control acquisition.

Bain Capital - PE Firm Profile | DeathByPE